Way Downstream

In Annapolis, in case you missed it, the Board of Public Works has approved $140,000 of Program Open Space Funds to fix up Primrose Acres Park. The money will be spent for landscaping, new benches, lights and other renovations for the tiny park, at Garden Gate Lane and Edelmar Drive …

In Virginia, let’s hope that the legislature goes along with Gov. Tim Kaine’s plan to issue $250 million in bonds to upgrade sewage treatment plants throughout the Chesapeake Bay area. The money would help to stanch the flow of Bay-choking nitrogen pollution. That amount would be more than four times the yearly proceeds of Maryland’s flush tax …

On the Eastern Shore, another Wal-Mart battle has concluded, and this time Wal-Mart is the victor. Accomack County, Virginia’s Board of Supervisors last week said the world’s biggest retailer could build one of its humongous super stores  150,000 square feet  despite worries by many locals that it will pollute and kill local businesses …

Our Creature Feature comes from Japan, where scientists finally have captured a giant squid on video. Just before the new year, the researchers showed off their find  a relatively small one at 11.5 feet  caught on a baited hook dangling nearly a half-mile beneath the surface.

For centuries, sailors have heard tales of squid so powerful that they pulled boats beneath the surface. A giant squid was featured in Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and just last year, French yachtsmen in a race said a 26-foot-long squid rose up and clamped itself to their vessel.

But until now, nobody had a video camera. “We believe these are the first ever moving pictures of a giant squid,” declared the scientists’ team leader.